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Capitol View
ON Sunday, Democrats will gather for their traditional unity brunch. They would call it breakfast, but the Democrats will need to rest after spending Saturday night beating the living tar out of each other during the primary election. Democrats look
ahead to 2002 raceThe unity brunch is meant to be a reassuring tradition, signaling that as much as Democrats clash on issues, personalities, morals and positions, once they get to the general election they stand as one.
This year, make that they stand as one until the general election is over and they can start the 2002 primary election brawl.
This year the top race is for mayor of Honolulu, but the real race is for governor of Hawaii two years from now.
Already the two major Democratic candidates, Mayor Jeremy Harris and Lt. Gov. Mazie Hirono, are working every advantage for the 2002 campaign.
The first test for 2002 is this year's race for president. Former Gov. John Waihee invented the political model of using the statewide presidential campaign to organize your own supporters. He did it for President Clinton's first run and was able to field the same troops for his own re-election campaign.
This year Hirono is in charge of the Gore campaign in Hawaii. The day-to-day work is handled by state Rep. Alex Santiago, but the actual organization of the campaign is Hirono's responsibility, according to Walter Heen, state Democratic chairman.
"Mazie is working the grass-roots and women's groups," Heen said. "Mazie is also building on the president's race."
Left unsaid is that Hirono isn't working for a Harris victory either this Saturday or in November. A re-elected Harris with a fully primed campaign would be a tough opponent for Hirono in 2002.
But a Harris victory on Saturday would allow the Democrats to concentrate on the 2000 race for president and pull labor and grass-roots support together for the vice president.
Meanwhile, the Harris campaign is going high-tech, according to Heen.
"Harris is developing an electronic campaign," he said.
There is work on Web pages and a sophisticated campaign database of supporters, Heen explained.
LOOKING at the emerging campaigns of both Hirono and Harris, Heen says, "We may have a 'Star Wars' election" in two years.
If the computers already are humming and the grass-roots being tended, there is some confusion about the third element in a campaign for governor, the endorsement of the person holding the job today, Gov. Ben Cayetano.
Many of his supporters and those skilled at running a statewide race, including former Superintendent of Education Charles Toguchi and former Cayetano assistant Lloyd Nekoba, are working with Harris' re-election campaign.
Others in the Democratic Party are saying that much of Cayetano's campaign brain trust is working with Harris in his re-election campaign. Harris also has the support of Waihee's old backers.
Unanswered is the fate of those supporters in a race against Hirono two years from now. Cayetano himself is supporting Harris for mayor, but says he thinks Hirono will be governor.
"Down the road, I just got to tell you the lieutenant governor and I are very, very close. We have gone through some battles together," Cayetano says.
So mark Sunday not so much as a day of unity but a time when two clashing parties pause in the same spot before moving off in opposite directions.
Richard Borreca reports on Hawaii's politics every Wednesday.
He can be reached by e-mail at rborreca@starbulletin.com